The purpose of this study was to explore the influence of six administrative-level control mechanisms (hierarchical controls--supervision, input, behavior, and output; nonhierarchical controls--selection/socialization and environmental) used by high school superintendents to direct the work of high school principals and to learn more about the nature of administrative control in high schools. Two questions guided this study: (a) what are the types of control mechanisms used in the high school districts? and (b) what do these patterns of control suggest about the nature of controls used by high school superintendents on high school principals? The impact that social status of the school and size of district had on the application of these control mechanisms was also investigated. In addition, this study examined the way these principals perceived their superintendents balanced control and autonomy.The research design for this study involved the use of two instruments--a survey questionnaire and an intensive interview protocol. These two documents were used with the 12 high school principals in this study. The sample was selected from suburban unit and secondary school districts located in Northeastern Illinois, and it was stratified by district size (number of schools in the district).As a result of this study, the researcher reported these findings: (a) supervision was perceived by principals as being used lightly, with schools and principals being provided considerable autonomy; (b) input control, budgetary, and personnel were used extensively with tighter controls in schools from large and medium-sized school districts than from schools from small school districts; (c) behavior control was used extensively in some areas especially the instructional area, but it was not perceived by the principals as constraining; (d) output control or measurement of results was used extensively; (e) selection/socialization control was used as most superintendents hired principals from the area, had similar career patterns, and were socialized to the position by having been selected from principalships or assistant principal positions; and (f) environmental control was commonly used but not considered by principals as a significant control.